This is the End
by Diminished Comet
Summary: Kylo Ren's obsessive love for Rey is starting to drive him mad. He's been hunting his elusive angel for months and now he has her cornered on Hoth. Compromise is not an option. Escape is not an option. Rejection is not an option. Is this the end?
1. Snow & Shadow

The seasonal Hoth blizzards had started early this year.

It was almost as if the icy planet was expecting Kylo Ren's visit and had altered her climate to match the bitterness within his heart. The wind was unforgiving, the cold was all-encompassing and the haunting loneliness of the barren world could not be denied.

The driving snow was whipping around the rocky outcroppings of the nameless frozen plateau which Ren had managed to land his shuttle upon. He now stood just outside of the hatch with his thick black robes wrapped tightly around his strikingly tall frame; a menacing dark figure in the white wilderness.

It had certainly been a difficult descent through the turbulent atmosphere and without a co-pilot or crew, he'd been forced to draw on his skills with the Force as well as his piloting prowess to fly the transport down safely. It struck him suddenly that the two talents which had preserved him were developed from the teachings of both his uncle and his late father. _"How ironic"_ he thought ruefully.

He casually walked around the sides of the shuttle to survey whether he had sustained any critical damage.

There had been problems with deploying the angled wings of his craft due to the extreme temperature fluctuations, and this had caused some of the mechanical gears to freeze up during the final stage of the landing procedure. It'd been a bumpy ride to say the least!

His black, elongated helmet, with its shimmering chrome trim, protected him from the biting cold. The electronic filters in the visor also allowed him to see through the flurries of snow and white haze that hung over the landscape. He smiled sardonically to himself. Most people who interacted with Ren did not realise that his mask had more uses than simply frightening his enemies. He'd lost count of the times where it had shielded him from lethal blaster bolts or allowed him to see some subtle detail in the battlefield which had been invisible to the naked eye.

Ren carefully examined the titanium bodywork on the wings. Some of the joints had indeed been stressed and a few were entirely broken. One wing would definitely need to be replaced before any further long-haul flights. Despite this, he was confident it wouldn't hinder him leaving the planet once the current blizzard had ebbed away and his personal mission here on Hoth had been completed in full. It was a relief that the special holding cell arrangements assembled within the ship were still intact after the crash-landing. There was 'precious cargo' to collect on this planet and it needed careful transportation.

The appropriate 'restraints' were also on-hand should they be required.

The shuttle could be repaired when he returned to the Star Destroyer _Finalizer_ , but he knew only modern parts would be available and that it would never be the same again. He found that he did not care in the slightest.

 _"When had that happened?"_ he questioned to himself.

The vintage Imperial craft had been gifted to him by Supreme Leader Snoke over a decade ago upon his initiation into the First Order; where he'd formally pledged his allegiance to his Master and the Dark Side of the Force. Back then he would've been livid if his shuttle had suffered so much as a scratch. He had dismembered his own careless technicians for less... but not anymore.

He sighed into his helmet's breathing apparatus and squeezed into a sheltered alcove underneath the hull, the heat of the engine had melted away the snow, and there was a pleasant warmth within. He needed to calm himself and be focused for the long-awaited confrontation that lay ahead of him; but his self-doubt continued to eat away at him.

Of course he knew _when_ it had happened. He knew the _exact_ day!

It was the same day he'd lost his way in all the things that had seemed important to his existence up until that point. Thereafter the mental stability of Kylo Ren had spiraled downwards into an abyss. He acknowledged that he hadn't been exactly 'stable' beforehand, but recently he felt as if he truly was going out of his mind. His psyche was a howling wilderness akin to the blizzard raging all around him.

 _"It will end soon, one way or another,"_ he promised himself.

 _"That accursed day!"_ he started to reminisce.

It'd been the final day of life for the First Order's terrifying Starkiller Base… _and_ his father Han Solo. The latter ended at Ren's own hands... However it was not these traumatic events that lingered most in his memory.

Instead he now almost exclusively associated it as the day when Kylo Ren, the most feared Dark Knight in the Galaxy lost both a lightsaber duel and his heart to a beautiful angel of The Light who simply named herself as… _'Rey.'_

Since that day he had been tormented by her constant presence in his thoughts and dreams. This torture was driven by his pre-existing loneliness and obsessive nature. But his affinity with the Dark Side had only escalated the intensity of his need for her. His Force visions were violent and passionate in equal measure. The two of them fought in single combat with and without weapons, tearing at each other like wild animals. Yet conversely he would also see himself and the scavenger wildly embracing, drowning each other in deep, sensual kisses as well as engaging in wanton sexual acts that caused his conscious self to sweat and groan with agonising ecstasy!

The pull to the light which should have irrevocably been extinguished within him when he'd bloodily sacrificed his father to the altar of the Dark Side; was now stronger than ever. Rey shined like silver moonlight within his head, blinding him with her celestial power. Then, just as quickly; the unholy depravity of his desire to possess her would seemingly pull him back into the pit of darkness. It was a never-ending tug of war and his sanity was literally being torn to shreds.

 _"I cannot manage the pain any longer… it ends today."_ he reiterated to himself once again.

Ren was as fervent as ever in his fanaticism to bring order to the chaos of the New Republic. He would be the messiah who brought balance to the Force. He would grow to fruition his grandfather's dream of the Skywalker clan ruling the Galaxy… Yet he was also drawn to _her_ like a moth to a flame and it was a crippling distraction to his other goals.

The hunt to find the scavenger girl had started almost as soon as he had recovered from the injuries she had inflicted upon him in the duel. Kylo Ren had stopped at nothing to track her down and his master had encouraged him to be ruthless in his pursuit. The First Order spy network had been given her profile and made it their top priority to alert the Knights of Ren of any persons matching her background and description across dozens of star systems. Of course with such a large search operation there had been many cases of mistaken identity. It had led to a number of human brunette girls being captured, tortured and in several cases… killed. However it was all for a greater purpose and Kylo Ren had long-since stopped feeling guilty for the suffering of unknown civilians… The pain and murder he caused to those nearest and dearest was sufficient enough to occupy his conscience.

At first it had been fairly easy to predict her movements and destinations. As a child of the Light she'd naturally joined the so called 'rebel-alliance' and started training with Luke Skywalker whose whereabouts had been a mystery for years until a the rebels themselves had pieced together a map which pinpointed his location. After that it was simply a matter of capturing and personally interrogating a couple of rebel A-Wing pilots from the D'Qar base in the Ileenium system. Under his well-schooled ministrations they had spilled the information he wanted without too much effort on his part. Ren had quickly learned that Rey and Skywalker were on Ahch-To, living frugally in a ruined Jedi Temple.

He'd wasted no time in travelling to the scenic ocean world only to discover that Rey along with his former master had already escaped him.

Ren had concluded that the crafty Tatooine Jedi had sensed his presence when the raiding party had come out of lightspeed above the planet. Yet another example of his uncle turning away and running from responsibility rather than facing up to his former apprentice. It was cowardly and pathetic, but admittedly would not have bothered Ren too much if it weren't for the fact that Luke had whisked _her_ away from him as well!

After that failed attempt, it was clear that the Rebellion was using their contacts and influence to help keep Rey hidden away. Ren suspected his mother General Leia Organa also had a strong hand in keeping the girl concealed from him. It was true that the false leads and rebel guerrilla raids on his troops and Knights had delayed the search… but Kylo Ren had always been as relentless as a rabid rancor and he fervently believed the Force was with him in this matter. He could feel Rey's light in the ripples of the Galactic life stream and it was calling to him. Sooner or later, he would claim her.

Several times he had been _so close_ to apprehending her, but somehow she always slipped just out of his reach!

He recalled chasing her in an exhilarating speeder race on Coruscant, her pretty silky hair and pure-white wraps of clothing streaming out behind her like a bright beacon for him to follow. She'd used the Force to accelerate at neck-breaking velocity, navigating dangerous chicanes and ramps with a skill that even he couldn't match. She'd turned her head around to look at him with fierce hazel eyes before disappearing into the endless metropolis. He'd subsequently run out of fuel and lost her trail. Gods, she was a good pilot!

 _"When will I learn that I should never underestimate this girl?"_ he thought, clenching his fists in self-deprecation.

Another time he'd had her cornered within an abandoned Imperial Star Destroyer on her home planet of Jakku. He'd reached out to grasp her small wrists, wanting to pull her close, but she'd wriggled away from him with a snarl and instead doggedly force-leaped into the nearby venting system. Rey was very familiar with the internal ship layouts of these rusty relics due to her former years of scavenging them for sellable parts. She'd proceeded to shimmy along yards of claustrophobic ducts and narrow tubing until she had finally exited the aging hulk of scrap metal and escaped into the desert sands she knew so well. There was no way he could've followed her, even if he'd been small enough to fit into the vents. She had beaten him once again… and it was infuriating.

This constant game of cat and mouse had consumed his life for the better part of nine months.

Although the fates had set their destinies towards opposing paths, their origins were so similar it could nary be coincidence! They'd both been hardened by solitary upbringings with little parental guidance. They both possessed precocious intelligence and were passionate to their respective causes. But most importantly of all her relative strength in the Force equaled his own, perhaps even _exceeded_ it.

She had the potential to utterly destroy him body and soul. This fact was both frightening and intoxicating to Kylo Ren. He harboured mixed feelings of love and hatred towards Rey that he could not explain or control.

The Supreme Leader had sensed his conflict immediately after his first encounter with the scavenger and his wise master had identified Ren's _compassion_ for the girl at once. Snoke had openly shamed him and let it be known that this _weakness_ would not be tolerated in his apprentice.

Further to this admonishment, Ren had prayed for guidance from his revered grandfather Darth Vader, beseeching his intercession as he desperately sought clarity via the former Sith Lord's relics. He'd also put himself through physically punishing training routines, even going so far as self-flagellation in an attempt to purge the Light out of his body. It was to no avail though… the moon still glittered in the darkness.

Ren brought himself back to the present. The blizzard was starting to ease and the gusting wind had now dissipated to a slight breeze. Snow was falling in slow, soft flakes… It was time to go.

He emerged from under the shuttle and took in the surrounding environment which was now much more clearly visible than it'd been before.

The nav-computer had confirmed that he'd veered away slightly from the site where he had originally intended to land. However, when he saw the snow-capped evergreen forest less than a mile away from his present location; he knew the Force was still with him… the heart of those woods had been his ultimate destination… It was not far now.

He started to trudge forward through the drifted snow travelling onwards to the skeletal-looking forest and towards what he predicted would be the greatest challenge he had yet to face in his melancholy and twisted life.

 _"It ends today!"_

His long-legged stride allowed him to make efficient progress and he left a trail of large evenly-spaced footprints behind him in the perfect blanket of snow.

Ren was determined to mitigate any risk of failure this time. He'd made sure that the tailored leather boots he wore were suitable for the harsh terrain before setting out on this mission. Underneath his normal robes, he'd also dressed in high quality black woollen combat gear, which allowed for ease of movement as well as providing the necessary thermal protection.

This unusual advantage of preparation had only been possible due to this particular meeting (unlike his previous encounters) having been _planned_ in advance. In fact it had been Rey _herself_ who had instigated this outing to Hoth.

It had surprised him greatly when he had received her digital message on his personal communication channel. She'd grown weary of running from him it seemed and had openly challenged him to meet her alone at a secluded location, where they could settle their unfinished business once and for all. The co-ordinates had been attached to the message.

She'd barely written anything to him, but that had not stopped him pouring over her words again and again to try and fathom their exact meaning and the motive that may lay behind the message. Ren had attempted to identify where the transmission had originated, but experts in the First Order had confirmed that the signal had been rerouted several times to mask the location of the sender. His gut told him that it was genuine though, he had faith in the divine will of the Force.

It was not long before Ren came to the tree-lined edge of the frigid forest, where this arranged rendezvous was to take place.

 _"It looks just like the snowy woods on Starkiller Base,"_ thought Ren warily _"Did she select this location on purpose to rattle him?"_

If that was the case, then he had to admit once again she was a cunning little thing.

Ren ran long black-gloved fingers over the harsh metal hilt of his constructed lightsaber. He unclipped it from his belt and flicked the ignition. The powerful crimson plasma blade hummed into life and the cross guard vented out twin jets in a matching hue. He felt a familiar thrill as the vibrations of his weapon thrummed over his skin and through his veins. He tested his grip in the icy air with a few powerful swinging arcs. He gracefully twisted the blade using his preferred sword-arm. The sound of crackling energy was loud and mechanical. It was the last sound that many of Kylo Ren's past adversaries had heard before they drew their last breath.

He had waited a long time for this day of reckoning. Whether it be with words or by the sword… he would _take her_ this time. He couldn't imagine any other outcome that he would tolerate.

His private shuttle was ready and waiting for her to board and the Supreme Leader had made very _special_ arrangements to welcome her as well.

 _"I'm here for you Rey… "_ he projected his thoughts, confident that she would hear them.

 _"I'm giving you fair warning my sweet scavenger… prepare yourself!"_


	2. The Duel of a Knight and an Angel

The numerous trees which Kylo Ren had been passing were a mixture of green and brown monstrosities, with their branches flung out in a myriad of directions like wooden webs. The foliage mixed in between the gnarled trunks was old, ancient and hardy against the extreme conditions of Hoth. The coniferous plants sprouted all around like strange, spiky sentinels.

Sentient lifeforms had not set foot here in centuries. There were no trails or paths, merely raw wilderness.

In her message, the scavenger had provided only vague co-ordinates to the meeting location and they had spanned an area of approximately five square miles. Before his crash landing, he'd performed a detailed scan of the site as he was orbiting Hoth in his shuttle. The sensors had been unable to detect any ships on the surface and there was no evidence of a previous landing site.

This had not deterred him of course… Ren had blazed down through the stratosphere as soon as an entry window had opened in the planet's cloud cover. What did it matter if he hadn't received a specific destination? He'd search and explore every inch of this frozen wasteland if he had to.

He halted his rapid pace and suddenly stood deathly still as it hit him that this was _another_ example of his inherent weakness! Yes he'd taken certain precautions before setting out on this quest, but never once had he questioned why the location and timing of Rey's proposed meeting had not been more explicit.

" _She knew I'd come no matter what the circumstances."_ Ren thought bitterly. " _Hell, I would have come even if she'd just asked me to meet her at Hoth, without providing any blasted co-ordinates at all!"_

The girl was surely well aware of his obsessiveness, his shortcomings and his attraction to her… but now she was _using_ it to her own advantage. She had obviously added 'psychological manipulation' to her arsenal of weaponry against him. It was a strategy he might have tried himself if their roles had been reversed, and he had to grudgingly admire her for it.

It was apparent that Rey had progressed significantly in her knowledge of the Galaxy since the day he had fought her on Starkiller Base.

That event had been the only time they had _literally_ crossed swords. She'd been more naïve and innocent back then, but her ingrained ability to survive against all the odds had bought her a lucky victory that day…

His dreams, not to mention his waking self-doubt had caused him to repeat the scene many times in his head and even now, his thoughts once again directed themselves to the past.

* * *

Kylo Ren remembered his utter shock when his grandfather's lightsaber had flown to Rey's hand rather than his own when they had both called to it at the same time.

She had seemed surprised as well, but when she ignited the blue blade against the backdrop of the collapsing planet he would never forget that stoic look of determination on her fragile face.

Ren had already gleefully dispatched her friend FN2187.

The former stormtrooper had pathetically cried over the unconscious girl cradled in his arms before having the audacity to challenge him in single combat.

" _How dare that traitorous bastard touch her… right in front of him, no less!"_

Using the pain from the gaping wound he'd already sustained that fateful day, Ren had channelled his raging emotions and pulled strength from the Dark Side of the Force. He'd been grinning cruelly as he sliced the traitor along his spine in one elegant upward strike of his crimson lightsaber. However he'd known the newly awakened Rey would not go down so easily.

He'd stared at her in admiration as she raised her blade to a vertical position. He had felt the anger which she'd directed towards him; it had been bordering on hatred! He supposed it was understandable, but misguided.

Ren had just killed the only father figure she'd ever known, although Han Solo would have disappointed her in the end. The smuggler had abandoned his own _natural_ child and would have quickly discarded Rey as well once the wanderlust had set in again. He'd probably also terminated her closest friend FN2187 too, but she would've discovered at some point that once a man was labelled a traitor, he _remained_ a traitor. He knew this truth all too well.

Seeking vengeance, Rey had been prepared to fight him; even though she'd never wielded a Jedi weapon prior to that moment. She must have known there was a high chance she would die in the attempt, but this didn't seem to deter her. As she adjusted her stance and tilted her blade at him in defiance, he'd spun his own blazing red cross-guarded lightsaber into life, giving an almost _respectful_ salute back towards her.

Kylo Ren had decided then and there that he did not want to kill her, or even _injure_ her. He wanted her to _join_ with him instead. He would make her his apprentice… maybe even his lover. The Supreme Leader wanted her too, but surely some _arrangement_ could be made… It was madness, he'd only known of her existence for a short time, but he knew he _must_ have her!

The duel had happened so quickly, but Ren and Rey had clashed blades in a shower of sparks and flames. It was clear she'd had some combat training, but not with edged weapons. She'd held the lightsaber like a pole and jabbed at him at a range, which meant she failed to connect with his weapon in most instances; let alone land a blow. He recalled her screams and grunts as she attacked, parried and defended. It had excited him in many different ways. Snow had covered her desert-style clothing and drenched her hair, which had started to come loose from the bindings that held it in place.

" _She must have felt so cold,"_ thought Ren absently.

The flakes that had touched her heated face; melted quickly into tiny rivulets of water which dripped from her skin like tears of crystal. In the twilight of the dying Starkiller sun she had sparkled… glorious and beautiful.

Tree limbs had flown in all directions as they both lashed out with their deadly plasma weapons. He'd quickly gotten the upper hand on the inexperienced scavenger and as the earth trembled beneath their feet, it was all she could do just to stave off his powerful attacks.

He'd spied a canyon cracking open behind her and was gradually forcing her backwards towards it. He'd smirked and growled menacingly at her as he spun his large crackling plasma blade into complex weaves. Ren had hoped this would distract her… and impress her.

" _I was showing off,"_ he admitted to himself.

He had _assumed_ she'd yield with the gaping chasm all but swallowing her up, but _no,_ she had doggedly held on! He'd wanted to end her resistance quickly before one or both them were killed in the melee of destruction; so he'd changed his tactics and deftly hooked her lightsaber up against his own, causing the blades to harshly lock together.

Red and blue light mixed to create an eerie purple glow that lit up both of their faces as they drew closer and closer together in the standoff. He could not help but stare at her in wonder. Her eyes were wide with hazel harmony, gazing back at his darker eyes with an equal curiosity; it had caused him to gasp unexpectedly.

He'd fallen for her… and there was no turning back now.

" _You need a teacher… I could show you the ways of the Force!"_ he'd offered suddenly, blurting it out in desperation.

This declaration had seemed to jolt Rey into alertness. She'd turned away, muttering something about the Force. She'd then closed her eyes, breaking the mesmerising spell that had held them both before.

Ren had sputtered in shock and amazement as he became aware of her invading his mind, chaotically leafing through his battle techniques, copying to memory... _learning_. It was clumsily executed, but what she lacked in finesse, she made up for with her tenacity. In his weakened state he'd been caught off-guard and it'd cost him dearly. He could only grind his teeth in despair as he'd heard her telepathic response to his gesture of training and courtship.

" _No..."_ she'd whispered into his head.

For a fleeting moment he'd felt devastating anguish at her rejection. He had believed then (and now for that matter) that Rey was the person he'd been seeking his entire lonely life. She was a soulmate who shared his gift and could've stood beside him as an equal. Ren had been convinced from the moment he'd learned of her existence that they were bound by the Force in some way. Yet the girl had self-righteously spurned his advances.

However, there had been little time to linger on this _mental_ pain due to the subsequent onslaught of _physical_ pain she'd inflicted!

Drawing deeply on the Force and using her stolen knowledge of his fighting style; Rey had used his own moves against him! The incessant hail of blue flashes had blinded Ren as the powerful girl pushed him back into the rapidly disintegrating trees. She hacked her lightsaber against his with such strength, he could barely hold on to the hilt of his weapon. When he made the error of leaving his left flank open, she did not hesitate to cut hard at his exposed leg. He'd moaned in agony as it burned his flesh. It had been a struggle to maintain his footing on the ice after that.

Ren had not wanted to hurt her, but he'd failed to tempt her into allying with him and the fight had turned into a brutal battle for survival. He'd viciously swiped at her after regaining his balance but his lightsaber missed it's mark by a wide margin and she jabbed him hard in the left shoulder for his trouble. Both his confidence and his black robes had been torn to tatters.

As he'd let out another frustrated cry of pain, he'd noticed a feral look twisting Rey's mouth into a monstrous grimace.

" _Dear Gods, she'd been embracing the Dark Side,"_ he recalled, breathing in deeply. " _I've seen that expression before… in the mirror"_

Rey had knocked him to the ground with a casual but clinical roundhouse kick to his chest. She'd prowled around him like an animal, deliberately letting him get to his feet once more.

" _The honour of the Light still ruled her, it demanded that she gave him a chance to surrender, even though she knew he would never choose that option"_ Ren concluded.

He'd clawed onto as much of the Force as he could handle to try and recover, but his left arm was now almost useless and Rey knew it! She'd violently grabbed his right handed sword arm by the wrist and pushed his fist downwards so he was driving his unstable red blade into the ground. It had been a surprising tactic but the little scavenger was creative, even in battle.

Despite his numerous injuries Ren had somehow managed to snatch her right wrist in a vice-like grip as well, disabling her ability to swing her own lightsaber. In the end, it had come down to a grappling match of adrenaline and sheer will.

He'd howled in frustration as she pushed his constructed blade further and further downwards into hardened rock, steam hissing as the plasma vaporised the icy surface. He'd felt her hot, panting breaths on his face and he'd smelled her damp fragrant hair. He could have sworn he almost _tasted_ her power on his tongue, and the combination of all of this on his senses had finally robbed him of the last of his self-control. Rey had eagerly seized the advantage.

She'd wrenched her wrist free from Ren's grip and promptly slashed down on his lightsaber hilt, crippling it completely and leaving him defenceless. Then, with a speed that seemed inhuman, she raised her bludgeoning, sapphire sabre to the sky, before bringing it crashing down and branding Kylo Ren straight and true across his right shoulder and face.

The gash she'd delivered to his shoulder had been disturbingly deep and it had connected with the streak of red fury that now marred his pallid features, from temple to jaw.

He'd yelled out a blood-curdling scream. It was as if he'd been hit by a burning bolt of blue lightning. It had instantly knocked him flat on his back, almost rendering him unconscious…

" _No! It couldn't end like this. He had to finish what Darth Vader started, he had a destiny to fulfil!"_

Ren had been unable to coherently move his body and all he could do was wait for the inevitable, final _merciful_ killing strike… but it never came.

He had heard the planet exploding and ripping apart around him in tandem with the loud, roaring static that was flooding through his skull. Ren had limply attempted to lift his head and shoulders, to try and _understand_ what was happening and how he could still be alive. He'd not been able to mobilise his right arm, she'd cut into the tendons and he'd realised immediately that it would require an amputation... she'd mutilated him and left him for dead, rather than killing him cleanly; but had it been by accident or design? The blood from his facial wound had oozed before cauterising and his vision was blurred; but he could tell that a newly formed abyss had opened up nearby. Then on the far side, past the smoke and haze… _he'd seen her._

Rey had been bathed in the ghostly glow of Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber, watching him with a look of dread. He'd instinctively known her fear no longer related to him… for she had cast him down into the icy grave that he deserved. Nevertheless, the stress of the whole episode had left her mind completely unguarded and her thoughts had bled freely over to him like the wounds on his own body.

Ren had worn a satisfied smile on his mutilated face as he lay back and let the sky fall down on him. It seemed the angel of the Light was suffering her own version of conflict and weakness. Perhaps someday she would fall from heaven and finally join him down in hell.

She'd been scared of _herself…_ terrified of the passionate anger she had fed upon to defeat him… If the Force had not rent the earth asunder, would she have stood over his corpse in ecstasy?

Before he'd blacked out completely he could have sworn he heard her voice one last time in his head.

" _Forgive me."_

* * *

Dwelling on past failings was Kylo Ren's favourite form of torturing himself, but it was a habit that had started when he was very young and was therefore… _difficult_ to kick.

He thought he would die that day, but the Supreme Leader had sent General Hux to collect his broken wreck of a body and he'd escaped the imploding base in a battered First Order cargo ship. Once again the Force had intervened on his behalf and he was determined not to repeat past mistakes.

" _There is method in the madness, but soon it will end."_


	3. Rey's Gambit

The ground crunched crisply under Kylo Ren's large boots as he explored the environs and the crackle of his long lightsaber echoed has he dragged it absently against bark and stone, marking his passage. There was virtually no other sound to hear. The wind occasionally caused haunting moans as it blew in flurries through the canopy, but the snow seemed to muffle virtually all other noises.

At one point he _did_ hear the distant screech of a bull wampa in the surrounding hills.

 _"He's hunting prey too,"_ thought. Ren smiling knowingly under his mask _"or perhaps he was fighting for a mate..."_ It was likely the creature was having more luck than himself.

It had been several hours since he'd entered the wood, but he'd not detected any sign of the scavenger within the vicinity; despite reaching out repeatedly with the Force. Ren had focused his powers into a meshed net of tendrils, trying to sense any unusual movement, any trace of her thought patterns or emotions.

 _"Nothing…"_

 _"Is this invitation fake after all? Is this a rebel ruse or some sort of loyalty test from Supreme Leader Snoke?"_ He questioned himself with a slight feeling of doubt. _"No… she was definitely here… but stubbornly hiding from him!"_

It was now occurring to him that Rey's abilities might now be sufficient enough to allow her to conceal her presence from other Force-users. Skywalker would have taught her how to build up mental defences against probing and mind-reading skills. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he became _certain_ that this would have been one of the first things Rey had learned from the grizzled Jedi Master. Luke would have been eager to help protect his new padawan avoid the fate of his past pupils.

Rey herself, would remember her visit to Kylo Ren's interrogation room on Starkiller Base. The feelings of pain and helplessness she'd endured as he'd clawed out long-buried secrets from her head, would be something she wouldn't care to repeat. He _certainly_ had not forgotten the experience… the thrill of knowing her fondest dreams, her darkest fears and desires… and the utter _shock_ he'd felt when she had somehow managed to invert the Force, accessing his exposed mind in return; calling him out on his own weakness and hypocrisy.

 _"You, you're afraid… that you will never be as strong as Darth Vader!"_ She had spat out at him revelling in his discomfort and beating him at his own game.

"Curse her!" he growled behind his helmet. He swung his blade in frustration at a nearby shrub, dividing the frozen vegetation into multiple pieces. The remnants hissed and smoked with steam.

 _"Where was she!? What was she playing at?"_

The snow was starting to fall down thicker and harder once more, and the lightsaber glimmered as the fluffy flakes disintegrated against the plasma. The dim star which served as Hoth's sun was starting to hang low on the horizon. Dusk was not far off and the cold temperatures on the planet during daylight were nothing compared to the sub-zero conditions during the night. It would make this escapade much more dangerous… for _both_ of them.

"Show yourself Rey!" he shouted loudly. "Your message implied you wanted to finish this hunt, well _here I am_ scavenger!" His voice was low and mechanical sounding through the voice modulator in his mask and it echoed menacingly through the glade.

 _"I'm going to be 'disappointed' if you've changed your mind, but once you've engaged a partner to dance, you cannot rescind the offer… that would be impolite."_

Still there was nothing!

He felt no disturbances in the Force, but his own intuition continued to tell him she _was_ nearby. He positioned himself in a defensive stance, holding his weapon upright with both hands, ready to strike at a moment's notice. He methodically twisted around to scan each direction in turn. The filters within his visor had adjusted so he could still see his surroundings within the deteriorating conditions, but Ren did not feel entirely in control of this situation and it worried him.

 _"No more failiures, it ends today,"_ he reminded himself. Even if he had to drag her kicking and screaming, bloody and broken; they'd be leaving this bleak world together.

There was a dull thudding sound in the undergrowth to his right. He instantly snapped his gaze in that direction.

 _"There it is!"_ he thought in triumph.

For all her efforts to mask her Force signature, the scavenger had failed to maintain her silence of movement. A novice error which he would now exploit. He moved into his favoured Sith attack form, lightsaber held high. Ren's robes flapped around his legs as he prowled over to the frost-covered bushes where the sound had emanated. The hedge was not very thick and he cut his way through it with two long arcs of his blade, but he sucked in the cold air sharply when he discovered that all that lay behind was a newly fallen stone in a small crater of powdered snow.

 _"What!?... the stone had made that sound… shit, it was a distraction!"_

Only his years of battle-honed reflexes allowed him to turn around in time to see the brilliant blue light streaking down towards him… It was Rey, blazing like a meteor; tearing through the air using the most powerful Force-leap he'd ever seen. Her lightsaber, now squarely aimed at his chest.

Clenching the hilt of his own sabre he lifted it quickly and firmly into a blocking horizontal position, creating a solid bar of crimson fire.

Ren heard her scream in dismay as their blades collided together in a shower of sizzling sparks, the barrier he had erected was implacable and she couldn't break through it. The scavenger had played her gambit and it had failed; she'd lost the element of surprise and she knew it. Ren held firm in his position as the strength of her initial blow hit him like a tidal wave, but now it was _his_ turn to strike back at her.

He concentrated a devastating Force-push as a counterattack and her pretty eyes widened as she was flung away from him, into the clearing beyond. She landed roughly in the hardened snow and he heard her cry out. He could tell she'd twisted her left leg awkwardly in the fall… he could now actually sense her thoughts. The carefully built walls which had previously been protecting her mind; were starting to crumble down as calmness deserted her. This was his confirmation that she was still an _amateur_ compared to himself and it was a welcome boost to his bruised ego.

He twisted his lightsaber back into attack position and stalked towards her crumpled form. Rey clenched her body with steely determination and seemed to regain her composure as she saw him approaching. She flipped back to her feet and grimaced through the pain to face him. She held the silver hilt of her weapon tightly, the perfect blue blade thrust outwards and pointed at him aggressively. Ren recalled that she was at her most dangerous when backed into a corner. It would go better for him to try other strategies if possible.

"So this is how you greet me?" he queried her. "I come here in peace and you attempt to stab me in the back like a sneaking jawa. I thought you were better than that scavenger."

She pressed her lips together and frowned… he'd struck a nerve with her.

Like a shot, he quickly thrust his lightsaber at her once more and it hummed with it's unique-sounding energy. She was only able to partially catch the blow upon her own weapon. The power of his strike caused her to lean out to the side, meaning one of the plasma vents of his cross-guard grazed across her right sword hand. She let out a howl as it cut through her glove and heavily scorched her delicate small fingers. She quickly backed off, but not before he'd caught the smell of her burnt skin. He knew he now had the advantage on her, the girl wouldn't be able to use her lightsaber properly with such a disabling injury.

"That hurt didn't it Rey? You're doing well to hide it visually, but I can _feel_ your pain. I can feel your _fear_ ," he goaded.

"I'm not afraid of monsters," she defiantly shouted back at him.

Rey ripped off her torn glove and threw it to the ground, the singed edges were still glowing and it practically disintegrated on impact. The swollen red flesh of her hand contrasted brightly against their white battleground and he could see there were unshed tears brimming in her hazel eyes. With a flourish she defiantly tossed her lightsaber to her other hand. He could not help but laugh through his voice modulator. _"Did she really think she could still defeat him now?"_

"Maybe you're not afraid of monsters little scavenger, but I know you _are_ scared, petrified of your own dark urges… terrified your new friends will abandon you like your family did. You've lived in fear every day of your lonely life, but I could help set you free from it; if you simply consent to _joining_ me."

"Never!" she snarled as she came at him once again, aiming a slash at his abdomen. He casually lowered his blade ready to parry. Ren realised too late that this was a deception.

Her strike was a feint, purposely delivered to look weak! Instead of going for the gut she instead curved her lightsaber upwards in an almost identical move to the one that had crippled him on Starkiller Base. The impact connected with the front of his head and cracked through the chrome patterning of his black helmet, knocking his mask clean off of his face. He stumbled in confusion and felt his neck roar with agony at the whiplashing motion. He turned back to face her, waves of jet black hair now rippling around his angular features. The scar she'd previously gifted him, twisted in fury and his dark eyes were flecked with a mysterious yellow tinge as he stared at her with uncontrolled rage.

She recoiled at the sight of the human beneath the mask once again. Through the Force he sensed the conflict within her, the desire to hurt him further coupled with the disgust at her own violence. She also exhibited… _pity_ for him!

Something snapped inside Kylo Ren.

He sprang forward and with one terrifying, fiery-red swing, he knocked her lightsaber out of her unschooled left fist in one gigantic stroke. Rey watched in horror as the hilt spun away to land with a sickening crack on a patch of warped ice. She reached out to call the legendary relic back to her.

"Not this time scavenger!" he said in a disturbingly low voice.

Ren focused the dark power that had been building up inside him since she had appeared to him. Anger combined with passion and when he hurled the full power of his will against Rey, her whole body became frozen in stillness, every limb completely paralyzed. Her lips were parted, but she could not speak a word or make a sound. Her eyes darted back and forth frantically, trying to identify some way to free herself. He could feel her vain attempts to use the Force to unpick the fine shadowy threads he was using to bind her.

"Don't waste your strength Rey, there is no escape from this. You already know that you cannot run forever, isn't that why we're here today?"

He chuckled at the overwhelming feelings of desperation she was projecting. He'd had her like this before, when they'd first met on Takodana. She was thinking back to what happened after that particular episode. He knew her temperament well enough. Even when his little angel was captured, disarmed and subdued, she would struggle and suffer until her last breath. Rey was a creature that was never meant to be caged.

He switched off his lightsaber and clipped it back to his belt.

As the snow continued to fall around them, Ren took this opportunity to savour his triumph and drink in her appearance. He looked her up and down critically and did not attempt to hide his leer from her. She was dressed in matching creamy-coloured, thermal leggings and tunic. Over this she wore a thick, flowing white coat trimmed in grey fur. It looked large on her slim figure, but obviously it was meant for warmth rather than vanity.

"Why do you always clothe yourself in white scavenger? Are you trying to convince yourself that you are true to the Light side? We both know black is going to suit you better."

Ren found himself examining her practical leather boots… she had such small petite feet, he'd not noticed before…

He then walked around her inanimate body and stood still behind her. She wore her hair in a loose braid these days, probably in imitation of the Jedi padawans of old. He bent his head down and buried his nose in the soft brown hair on the crown of her head, inhaling her scent and _revelling_ in it. Kylo Ren had always had a hair kink and Rey did not disappoint in this area.

 _"Don't you dare touch me!"_ he heard her say venomously in his mind via the Force.

The Dark Side was still flowing strong and hot in Ren's veins, making him feel invincible. It was pouring fuel on the fire of his desires and obsession. He returned to stand in front of her once more, pulling off the black glove from his right hand and then rolling back the sleeve to reveal his arm. He could hear the mental gasp from Rey as she saw his flexing, robotic hand as well as the mechanical joints that attached a bionic prosthetic arm to his shoulder.

Without warning he wrapped his cold, metal claw-like fingers around her throat and stroked her neck almost lovingly. He could sense her cringing internally. He could so easily have strangled her with it, but for now he intended to frighten, rather than hurt her.

"I doubt you can imagine the pain involved when a limb is amputated without anaesthetic, but I had to suffer it because of you. This mangled arm of mine is your handiwork sweet scavenger! Don't you feel guilty? Don't you think you _owe_ me?" he questioned her, raising his eyebrows suggestively and smirking at her.

She did not respond to his baiting, somehow she was keeping her anger in check. As the stars started to appear in the skies above Hoth, Ren decided it was time to move on and proceed with the next stage of this important mission. He replaced his glove and covered up his arm once again.

He pointed towards the ground and Rey felt herself being compelled to kneel in the icy dirt, her arms fell down in front of her knees as if she were in religious supplication. He released his Force-hold on her jaw, so she could once again speak; before hunching down beside her.

He narrowed his eyes and curled his full lips into a quizzical expression.

"Tell me Rey why are you here?" he asked in a surprisingly gentle tone.

"I'm not telling you anything!" she replied curtly.

"But don't you know by now that I can take _anything_ I want?" he reminded her.


	4. Don't Go Where I Can't Follow

Kylo Ren could feel the pace of his heart quicken now that he was in such close proximity to his subdued angel. Not since Starkiller Base had he managed to be this _near_ to her and he felt flushed with triumph. It was just too perfect and he could not restrain himself from smirking at her.

"One last chance little scavenger… What was the _real_ purpose of this Hoth excursion you arranged for us?" he asked with a threatening undertone to his voice.

Once again, Rey remained impassive to Ren's threats, merely maintaining a stone-like silence and staring right through him. She was mocking him without even saying a word.

Although he had bound this girl to kneel before him, her will remained free to defy him; given half the chance she would spit in his face right now and she _wanted_ him to know this. "So be it then…" he said with a shrug.

It had always angered Ren that she didn't show him the respect he felt was his due, but then he also had to admit that he was quite looking forward to the upcoming challenge of breaking that rebellious streak within her. It might turn out to be a long process, but he would enjoy moulding her character and skills slowly but surely to suit his needs… _and_ satisfy his desires.

 _"Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind."_

It was long overdue that he started to follow through on his threats when it came to this girl, she would have to learn that he was her _master_ now. The time for leniency was over.

He roughly grasped her temples in his gloves, threading his long fingers tightly in her gorgeous hair, pulling out strands from her braid and tangling them in his grip. He saw her bite down on her lower lip in response to the harshness of his touch.

"I hope you understand that it's your own fault that I have to do this," he stated chidingly.

He concentrated his powers and entered Rey's mind like a battering ram. She let out a helpless whine and began to gasp in short, constricting breaths as Kylo Ren swarmed through her head and searched for the information he wanted. He smiled with satisfaction at how simple it was compared to the last time he'd interrogated her.

Despite all her outward bravado, she could not disguise that inwardly her protective mind-wards were now in shambles. Her lacklustre attempts to stop his probing were easily anticipated and ferociously deflected back with a significant dose of pain added to ingrain some humbleness into her. He wouldn't attempt to spare her discomfort… not this time.

 _"There can be no weakness on my part, mercy is the path to the Light Side."_

It was tempting to rifle through some of her more _personal_ memories, but that was the sort of lustful distraction which had caused him to fail in the past. There would be time enough to explore things further when she was safely aboard his shuttle… Instead Ren wholeheartedly focused on his original objective.

His restraint allowed him to quickly yield results. What he discovered in her thrashing thoughts was tantalising.

"I see it… now I know why you came here to Hoth… you're on a special errand," he told her knowingly. "A rebel mission… you were ordered to _assassinate_ the Master of the Knights of Ren."

Removing his left hand from her hair, he now brushed the leather on the back of his glove gently down the side of her flushing cheek. Now it was he who pitied _her_.

"Knowingly or not, your rebellion friends have treated you with the same indifference a First Order Admiral gives to a stormtrooper grunt. What a terrible task to give to an angel such as yourself. One who is already so… _conflicted_.

He could sense this duty had tormented her conscience since the moment the orders were given to her. She was wracked with guilt, even now; when he had her at his mercy.

"It was a smart strategy, I suppose," he mused out loud. "If truth be told, I was always going to bite when _you_ were the bait that they dangle before me."

He noted the draping glow of the Hoth Aurora Borealis was starting to bathe them both in hints of green and purple hues. Kylo Ren had dubbed Rey an 'Angel of the Light' within his own mind, yet she truly _looked_ the part right now…

Carnal impulse made Ren release the grip his gloved, mechanical hand still had on her scalp and he gently patted back the hair he had tousled. The sensitive artificial nerves in the prosthetic allowed him to keenly feel the silky sheen of her dark brown locks. He found he couldn't stop himself from continuing to stroke her hair and bask in its softness. She always contrived to cover or tie it up in some fashion; how he longed to pull that braid loose and see it flowing wildly around her shoulders!

But… that was another fantasy that must wait until a more favourable setting presented itself. He needed to keep on track and continue with the interrogation.

"You hid yourself competently in this godforsaken forest… for a short while at least. I can also tell you've learned a few tricks from Skywalker," he acknowledged.

"But at the end of the day, you can't hold a candle to me when it comes to using the Force in combat! You've no form to speak of and describing your defence skills as 'poor' would be giving you underserved credit," he said this imperiously, curling his large full lips to one side and shaking his head slightly as a master is wont to do with his apprentice.

"The result of our last duel must have falsely emboldened you and your traitorous friends! I'm rather surprised you were foolish enough to think that defeating a man with both bowcaster _and_ lightsaber injuries, is the same as defeating him when he's fully fit and… _driven_."

She still seemed determined not to speak to him, but he noticed the girl's facial muscles twitched ever so slightly at this last comment. Ren probed her mind a little further to find the cause and then sniggered when he discovered it.

"My apologies, I stand corrected little scavenger... you were _not_ overconfident, but all too aware you couldn't beat me in a _fair_ fight. Therefore you planned to be a true assassin, a sniper in the shadows; a terminator of faceless individuals slain in cold blood."

She flinched again; this was definitely hitting her where it hurt… the fear of what she might really be or what she might _become_.

"Once I have you safely on my Star Destroyer, maybe I'll assign you to one of General Hux's black-armoured deathtrooper squads; you'd probably fit in well with those heartless killers."

Ren found that he was thoroughly enjoying exploring her thoughts once again. Rey's force-sensitive mind made the connection so much more… _intimate_. She had evaded him for so long and now he finally had her firmly under his control. Toying with her psyche like this felt fantastic!

"I'll grant that you came very close to landing a kill with that first surprise attack," he said in a seductive low voice, as he let his gloved fingers once again slide over her small oval face.

"I had my back to you and I was wearing my mask too... I wonder if these convenient facts helped to reconcile you to the act of murder you were about to commit? Now that you sit face to face with your intended victim, do you still think you could kill me without damning your soul to the Dark Side?"

From the moment he had invaded her mind, Rey had broken off her visual contact with him by clenching her eyes tightly shut in a futile effort to fight him off. He could now see unshed tears brimming around her long lashes. With a small flick of his fingers, Ren used the Force to compel her to look at him once again. It was gratifying for him to see the fire which had previously burned so fiercely was now somewhat extinguished.

"If you're going to kill a man… you really should look him straight in his eyes first," he chastised her.

"Look at your victim now Rey, I want to _see_ your sorrow flow, don't I deserve to see you suffer just a little bit? Curse the Maker, you've made _me_ suffer every single day since we met on Takodana!"

At these words, Rey decided to break her silence, tears be damned!

"This is a war for freedom and you and the whole damned First Order are my enemy! Neither your suffering nor mine compares to the horror that you and Snoke have inflicted on the Galaxy. I would have done my duty, but unlike you I would have taken _no_ pleasure in ending your miserable life because I serve the Light!"

The dignified, self-righteous speech made Kylo Ren want to laugh out loud at her naivety; but he simply treated her to another one of his trademark smirks.

"At some point you'll have to stop your self-denial Rey. I've _felt_ you channelling the Dark Side." He then pointed towards his own face. "Just look at my lovely scar if you need more evidence. Once you go down the path of the Dark Side, it forever consumes your destiny. I would have assumed my fossil of an uncle to have drilled that lesson into you by now; although I must confess I was never interested in his virtuous Jedi sermons either."

Ren continued to gaze at Rey with intensity. She was a thing of wonder to him, a precious raw jewel that he could not let out of his grasp… those uncut edges just needed a bit of refinement. She was bravely trying to put aside her fears, to stem her tears of frustration and confusion at the game he was playing with her.

Through his link to her mind he could tell that she definitely _was_ attracted to him on some level, even if she didn't exactly understand or reciprocate his feelings. Given time though, he could make her _learn_ to love him. Whether by soft seduction or the violent breaking of her will, she would be bound to him eventually. The Force must have balance and one cannot go against the will of the Force… not even the Supreme Leader himself.

The snow was continuing to gust around the pair of them. He could hear Rey's teeth starting to clack together and despite her large coat, she was clearly shivering as she knelt there in the snow. Night was almost upon them and the temperature was plummeting.

"Desert dwellers don't do well on Hoth," he commented.

"You look so cold … I _could_ make you more comfortable, but I predict the moment I adjust the Force-hold, you'll take advantage of my generosity and fly back into the forest like a startled bird. You're quite the sprinter and it wouldn't be the first time you've escaped me in that way, would it?"

Ren then smiled rogueishly at her, a trait he'd unknowingly inherited from his father Han Solo. He could sense Rey thought the look was charming, yet disturbing at the same time.

"I have a warm shuttle less than a mile from this position, are you _sure_ you won't join me?"

Although phrased as a question, Rey knew he was not really offering her a choice. She projected thoughts of fear and a subtle hint of curiosity at the thought of being on a shuttle alone with him. He found this to be very _interesting_.

"I'd rather stay here and freeze to death," she then slyly replied, dashing the tiny bit of hope she had just raised in him.

 _"She teased me!"_

He openly scowled at her rejection and lost a small part of his composure. He felt Rey once again seize upon this momentary lapse.

She instantly started to attack the bindings which held her. He could see strands of light swirling around her chipping away at his own dark weaves. Part of the Force-hold was collapsing and Ren quickly grabbed her shoulders and physically restrained her to the ground to counter any break.

"Let go of me you sick monster!" she screamed. _"Just let me go!"_

Ren was taken aback by her sudden surge in strength. The stress of the situation and her natural lifelong need to _survive_ was charging Rey into a quivering frenzy! He could see her lashing out with the Force in a myriad of directions; it was uncontrolled and extremely dangerous!

Her emotions were seeping through to him. She wanted to break away from him at all costs, nothing else mattered. She could not bear to be so helpless and she was scared and disgusted by the unworthy feelings he brought out in her. She spoke to him through their connection trying to overpower him in any way she could.

 _"I will never belong to you! I will never belong to anyone, let go of your hold on me or you'll regret it Kylo Ren!"_

She managed to free one of her arms and straight away she aimed her fist at his jaw with a strong right hook. He dodged it… barely. He caught her loose wrist and slammed it down on the ground to prevent her from trying that move again. Her power was starting to grow exponentially as she struggled and flailed against him with both mind and body.

"For the last time… Get out of my head!" she screeched at him.

Ren knew that further threats on his part would only exacerbate matters. It was time for a quick change of tact!

"I promise I won't harm you Rey… all you have to do is stop fighting me!"

 _"Your promises are worth less than bantha-shit!"_

A conflagration of blazing light was filling her mind! It was such a brutal, blunt technique, yet it was so blindingly bright that it actually _was_ succeeding in pushing him back. The sole purpose of this attack was simply to eject his presence, however he could see the light was also painfully burning up her consciousness as well. She would go _insane_ if she kept this up.

He had to push her onto her back to keep his tenuous control, looming over her and growling at the tremendous effort he was extending just to keep her still!

The air around them was starting to glow and crackle with the large concentration of the Force they were both wielding. The snow was melting in an ever-increasing circle around them as they relentlessly wrestled against each other for dominance.

In all his years Ren had never faced such a formidable opponent as the one he was now attempting to hold down to the frozen ground. He now knew with sudden clarity that neither Luke Skywalker nor even Supreme Leader Snoke could ever match her in raw power alone!

It was difficult to keep on top, but the scavenger's inexperience was telling and Ren felt confident that he could ride out her storm. Desperation and despair was clouding her fragile face and he could sense exhaustion overtaking her.

"That's enough Rey, stop this now or you'll burn out! You'll destroy yourself!" he warned her.

She refused to heed him. Rey's desire to escape from his clutches seemed to override all rational judgement and Ren was once again surprised as she embraced the forbidden emotions of anger and hate…Yet even now when she was at her most vulnerable, she was finding a unique way of keeping herself true to the Light!

Rather than calling on the Dark Side of the Force directly, she somehow started to leech off his own dark energy to bolster her power. The deep brown pools of his eyes widened with amazement, he'd never seen such a feat performed before.

 _"Does she even know what she is doing!?"_

He'd always been taught that Force abilities were either Light or Dark, they could not be combined in this way… It was impossible!

Patches of the Dark intermingled with points of the Light until he couldn't see anything else. The frigid landscapes of Hoth seemed to vanish as she built up some kind of sphere made out of hot, interlaced ethereal Force-matter! It was surrounding them with a mystical magnetic field that sent delicious shivers down Ren's spine… rather than forcing the two of them apart, it was binding them closer together.

Rey obviously had no comprehension of what she'd initiated and seemed to have lost herself completely to whatever power it was she'd unleashed.

He still held the mind connection with her, but her thoughts were now just searing blasts of fear and a growing urge to let herself be consumed by her own terrible inferno and let her death be the end of it all.

"No! You cannot escape that way scavenger!" he yelled angrily.

This was starting to go very badly, it was supposed to end today, but not like this, he'd never intended that she die…

 _"Please… Rey… don't go where I can't follow!"_


	5. The Place Of Which We Have No Knowledge

Rey's thoughts were a blur of colours within a cloud of bliss. She had little recollection of how she had initiated the journey here, nor why it had happened… but somehow she'd transported herself to a better place… the _only_ place she ever wanted be.

The memories of her encounter with Kylo Ren on Hoth were starting to fade away and she let them go gratefully. She wanted to shed all memory of the man who hunted her relentlessly by day and stalked her dreams by night.

" _I want it to end."_

Rey yearned to unburden herself of all the painful events she had endured in her short life, even if doing so meant losing those few fleetingly happy moments she'd shared with Finn, Poe and her other friends in the rebel alliance. Her consciousness now belonged to some other _greater_ whole and what came before was surely of no consequence. Rey would willingly give herself over to this new state of euphoric existence and losing the whole of her past seemed a small price to pay for it.

Reality as Rey understood it; did not seem to exist anymore, for she was floating impossibly in deep space. There were millions of stars in a rainbow of hues twinkling brightly about her and she could see the great spiral of the Galaxy swirling beneath her feet. The centre was filled with blazing hot energy, rotating around the event horizon of a supermassive black hole. Four gigantic arms of stellar material struck out from the core, spinning in perpetual motion, each one home to countless suns, planets and species… all bound together by the one true Force.

She gazed in awe at the celestial spectacle that was unfolding before her. "It's so wonderful! I never knew… never dreamed just how _beautiful_ it was" she gushed out loud and her own voice echoed within her head like sweet music.

Laughing happily, she swam gracefully through the gaseous tail of a passing comet and gasped in wonder at the bright flash of a supernova, the envelope expelled by the dying star rippled through her hair and burst around her skin as it passed through her body.

The hood and hem of the white winter coat she'd worn on her last icy mission still fluttered about her as she drifted, but the injuries she had sustained in her lightsaber duel had mysteriously vanished. No longer did she feel the searing plasma burns and cold winds full of snow. All she could perceive now was… _blessed peace_.

" _Am I about to die or am I already dead?"_ she wondered. Rey felt certain that this must be some sort of heavenly dimension, just as she was also sure any being who permanently dwelt here would never know loss or loneliness again.

Light was engulfing her… the beautiful _holy_ light which was the Force in all its glory. It was bliss… it was eternal… nothing mattered now but to let herself become one with the cosmos and ascend ever higher… she was determined to leave her linear mortal existence behind and finally fly free.

Something brushed against her, rousing her from her reverie and she turned her head in surprise. An ethereal apparition hovered alongside her. It was the ghostly image of a sage-looking man…

" _The tales of the Force ghosts who walk among us… they were all true,"_ she concluded. " _Soon I too will be a spirit."_

That thought might have frightened her once, but now it was actually comforting.

It was difficult to discern the man's appearance properly for he seemed to flicker from one image to another. At first he appeared fairly elderly, but then he transitioned into someone who looked younger; before then alternating back to the older man. As Rey squinted at his blurring features in confusion, she noticed that he consistently seemed to have a neatly shaped brown or grey beard. His intelligent blue eyes glimmered with wisdom and Rey did not doubt that this man had been a significant person at some point in the past.

He was dressed in a white tunic and plain brown robes. The outfit looked similar to Master Luke's hermit attire. Perhaps this ghost was a Jedi as well, because she could keenly sense the Force flowing strongly through his apparition.

The man smiled and Rey heard him calling to her very soul. He was connected to her somehow, she _knew_ this man, yet she was also sure they had never met in life.

"Rey," he said in such a gentle voice. "Do you recognise who I am?"

" _It's him!"_ she thought as she choked back a sudden sob.

The voice she'd heard previously in a Force vision when she had first touched the Skywalker lightsaber on Takodana… The one who'd reassured her that she was taking her 'first steps' and given her hope for the future.

This wondrous place she'd entered was making their bond clear to her now. She suddenly knew _who_ he was, and the discovery caused tears to trickle down Rey's cheeks unchecked, before they evaporated away into time and space.

"I believe you are the one who has spoken to me before… you're my _grandfather_ … aren't you?

The ghost glowed with warmth. "My dearest girl, your instincts serve you well."

This confirmation made Rey reach out to him desperately… "Grandfather, I've waited so long to find my family again, please let me stay here with you... I don't want to be alone anymore."

Rey's own translucent fingers entangled themselves in his transparent hands. She couldn't feel a physical touch, but their spirits joined together and fifteen years of sorrow seemed to melt away in an instant.

"My love has been with you Rey, I've watched over you since the day you were born. The Light, it's _always_ been there; it has guided you and kept you safe… even in the darkest of times." He stated this affectionately, with an accent she thought sounded very like her own.

"Who am I?" pleaded Rey. "Am I _really_ just a scavenger?"

"You are _Rey_ , the brave girl who survived against all the odds to become a great mechanic and a skilled pilot. You defeated the powerful Master of the Knights of Ren and helped save an entire star system from being obliterated by the Starkiller weapon without asking for anything in return. You are not 'no-one', you are an extraordinary person! You're my only grandchild, the chosen Jedi of destiny and the _last_ of the Kenobi line." He said this last part with a hint of sadness.

 _"Kenobi... I am Rey Kenobi,"_ she thought _"I finally have a family name."_

Although it was not a name she'd heard before. Rey could not recall Master Luke ever mentioning it... but then again on this astral plane she could not rely on her own memories to inform her.

"We're very pleased with your accomplishments Rey, but it's not yet time for you to join us here. You must walk a different path."

"Please Grandfather; when you mention _us_ , is it my parents you speak of? Tell me if they're still alive... Who are they and why did they abandon me? I need to know _why_!"

The kindly ghost did not answer, but merely shook his head solemnly and pointed to the glowing majesty of the Galactic core.

"The belonging you seek is not behind you in the past… it is right in front of you in the future. You already know this to be true.

" _So my fate is to live after all,"_ she realised.

Something then flashed sharply across her vision. It was similar to a crackle of red lightning and jolted her out of the serenity of heaven and brutally smashed the tranquillity to pieces.

Distantly she heard an angry, deep voice. " _You're not going anywhere scavenger...I won't let you leave me!"_

She blinked in surprise. "What was that!?"

The ghost of the man who had claimed her as his granddaughter only frowned with concern and Rey started to feel a stab of fear and uncertainty when the shimmering outline of his figure started to fade away into the emptiness of space.

Rey noticed that the once brilliant starlight was starting to dim and black mist was beginning to ooze around her, blocking out the wondrous sights she had gawped at earlier. She noted with sadness that she was already starting to forget what she'd seen.

" _This is the place the living should have no knowledge of,"_ she reasoned.

Something was pulling at her insistently… and she felt herself being violently jerked backwards.

A faint afterimage was all that remained of her grandfather Kenobi, but she heard his parting words in her mind. "Rey, beware the temptations of the Dark Side, don't give in to hate and despair. We don't want to lose you like we lost Vader and Kylo Ren. Remember hope is not lost this day, the Force will be with you _always_ …Farewell my child."

Suddenly a clap of devastatingly loud thunder ripped through Rey's head and the pit of her stomach lurched. She was no longer drifting; she was _falling_ … at an impossible velocity! The tugging sensation was terrifying and she was powerless to control what was happening.

That deep voice called out again. " _You belong with me Rey!"_

"No!" she howled

"Let me go...I'm home, I'm finally with my family, don't take me away… _pleeeeease_ "

But her pleas went unanswered and the stars were starting to pulse and spin chaotically. The Galactic core started to glow bright crimson as she hurtled further downward. She screamed in disbelief and despair as the stars illogically turned into red lines, like streaks of blood on an ebony canvas. The starlines then spun out into a mottled pattern as her own body jumped to light speed. But it was not the normal blue and silver matter of hyperspace which rushed past her accelerating form, rather she instead saw clouds of blood-red plasma and golden flares of fire!

Pain and nausea ripped through her to the point of it being totally unbearable. Her consciousness seemed to leave her body completely and she could see her corporeal form stretched infinitely throughout the terrifying wormhole tunnel.

 _"How can I even breathe!?" she thought._

Rey was being drawn inexorably onward to whatever destination the fates wanted her to visit and no amount of effort she exerted seemed to make any difference whatsoever. The absurdity and impossibility of travelling this way, without the aid of a ship or hyperdrive engine was sending her into a drooling state of shock. She was on the verge of passing out completely... but before this could happen, the cataclysmic thunder boomed out for a second time and shook her back to a more alert waking state.

And then that seductive velvet voice was in her head again, he was still following her even here.

 _"_ _ _Come to me Rey..."__


	6. Visions of the Future

Rey started to rouse from what seemed like the longest dream she'd ever experienced, yet she knew instantly that she wasn't actually _awake_.

 _"Maker what the hell is going on? What's happening to me?"_

She was panting hard and erratically as if her lungs had forgotten how to function properly and her emotional state was in turmoil.

Instinct told her to stay still and calm herself. Therefore she chose to let her eyes remain closed so she might coherently gather her thoughts and pull herself together. She could sense through her clammy skin that her body was laid face down with limbs haphazardly splayed on a smooth and polished surface. It was not a comfortable or dignified position and she adjusted her body slowly so her legs and arms were straight.

She was aware that she'd been somewhere _special_ where only luminous beings dwelled, but that she'd also been brutally wrenched away from that place of everlasting happiness!

Rey let out a silent wail of anguish at the sudden and overwhelming… _loss_.

Compounding the pain further was the realisation that this gap was quickly being refilled by the return of her previous memories… her scavenger upbringing, her pitiful existence living alone… _and_ the relentless chase of an obsessive First Order monster who refused to give up his hunt for her.

Yet despite all this she had been permitted to keep one important memory.

 _"Don't give in to despair,"_ he had told her.

 _"Grandfather…"_

It was becoming difficult to remember his appearance now, but she recalled his name… _her name_ … Kenobi! This long sought after knowledge was comforting as she struggled to come to terms with her recent ordeals.

Rey ran through well-rehearsed Jedi exercises within her head to focus her thoughts until she felt suitably ready. Her arms and legs felt stiff, but she managed to push herself up on her palms and eventually opened her eyes to take stock of where she was.

To her amazement she discovered she was located on the bridge of a star destroyer of all places! Her former days of scavenging these types of vessels were enough for her to identify that much. However something wasn't quite right about the situation. The air had a strange reddish haze to it and gravity seemed to be several gees stronger than one would expect on a ship sailing in space, this perhaps explained why her movement was so sluggish and difficult.

She stood up doggedly and swivelled her head to check for danger, but sensed nothing here which meant her any harm. However there was… _something_ … a presence in the Force that disturbed her.

The assumption she had harboured earlier was correct, she was definitely _not_ awake. In fact Rey was now certain she was undergoing a Force vision and similarly to her previous Force visions, she would most likely have to brave it out and let it run its course.

It was extremely dark on the bridge due to the main overhead lighting being disabled or maybe there had never been any to begin with. Some limited illumination was being emitted by a few active monitors, which displayed clouds of intermittent static. There were also blinking LED lights here and there, shining like coloured jewels in the shadows. This was just about enough for Rey to make out the numerous alcoves and computer consoles where dozens of crew members and droids would normally sit and run ship operations. Strangely there did not seem to be a single station manned.

The emptiness was extremely disconcerting. She could tell that this was a very large vessel, which would require many specialised officers to fly it safely. It was all very creepy and… _wrong!_

The entire bridge was as empty as any old Imperial derelict on Jakku, but this craft was not the same design as those ruined wrecks she'd picked over for scrap to trade at Niima Outpost.

After taking a closer inspection of the panels and technology used to run the navigation and defence systems, Rey had concluded that the parts and configuration were very advanced. She considered herself pretty savvy when it came to mechanics and engineering, but she had to admit that she didn't understand or recognise a significant amount of the equipment that had been implemented on this modern 'First Order' ship.

Apart from the whir of electronics and low rumblings of hyperdrive engines, silence hung over everything like a thick draping curtain. She was standing on the central aisle that spanned the entire length of the bridge. Rey knew that this is where officers surveyed and managed the crew with an iron fist. Compatriots in the resistance had once told her that First Order technicians and troops were expected to adhere to strictly enforced discipline and high performance expectations. Failure to do this could often result in instant execution.

 _"Wasteful,"_ she thought sadly.

Rey began to ponder the meaning of this vision… was it trying to warn her that a new super-weapon had been developed by the enemies of the Republic? The scale and build of this vessel was certainly much larger than anything she'd seen before, even within the technical specifications she'd perused in the central archives of the grand library on Coruscant.

"This must be one enormous star destroyer," she thought with wonder.

"Of course it is, this _is_ our flagship after all" said a familiar baritone.

Her heart thumped inside her chest at the sudden breaking of the quiet by the sensual male voice.

She may have forgotten where she'd travelled to after accidently weaving that mysterious Force energy on Hoth, but she clearly remembered him calling out to her. Was it that _monster_ Kylo Ren who'd pulled her out of paradise!?

He'd sounded both menacing and desperate back then. _"Probably because he thought I was going to escape from him permanently!"_ she thought angrily.

This time however, his tone was slightly different, content even… and much more self-assured.

Turning in the direction of the voice she now faced a large viewport situated at the front of the bridge. There was a tall figure of a man silhouetted against the star-filled backdrop of space that lay beyond the hull. He was indistinct as the gloom of this eerie vision seemed to thickly cover and swirl about him.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"You _know_ who I am," he responded, sounding amused.

Why had she doubted even for a moment that it might have been someone else? The Master of the Knights of Ren was a dark wraith who haunted her steps, always watching her; always waiting for her in the darkness.

He did not move nor turn to toward her, he didn't need to, he knew he controlled this vision and Rey could feel the confidence coming off him in waves. She didn't need to see his princely face to know this.

"So you've arrived at last little scavenger, I've been waiting for you here since your clever 'stunt' on Hoth. I must admit that I once again underestimated just how powerful you _really_ are Rey. Perhaps those stories about Grey Jedi have some credibility after all."

He was at some distance from her, but for some reason could still hear him speak. She decided she would stay rooted to the spot and avoid getting any closer. Ren must have sensed this rebellious inclination, because at that very moment he let out a low laugh.

"This vision is divine revelation Rey… come by my side and join me over here. I think you'll find the view is magnificent."

"No, I _won't_ ," she shouted defiantly.

"Yes, _you will_ ," he stated calmly.

Her legs started to move of their own accord, she was trapped by an external compulsion, yet it was not only the whim of Ren. Something else was insistently making her walk towards him… The Force itself!

"This isn't real! You have no _real_ power over me," she mocked him.

"Reality is what we make of it," whispered Kylo Ren.

Instinctively Rey reached to her waist for a weapon, but neither lightsaber nor a blaster could be found. Instead her fingers skimmed over soft velvet and flowing silks. She clasped the materials in her hands in surprise.

She was wearing a long and elegant black dress trimmed in silver brocade and ermine. It swept perfectly over her shoulders and hugged her slim waist and narrow hips. The cut of the neckline was plunging and Rey blushed as she looked down at the hint of exposed cleavage. A silver pendant with a moon motif hung from a thin necklace around her throat and it bobbed lightly against her skin as she moved. There were also delicate silver bracelets clasped along her bare arms and wrists and they tinkled together prettily. Her hair was hanging loose and straight, rather than in her preferred bound style.

The hem of her gown made a swishing sound as she walked and she could see she her petite feet were wearing exquisitely worked black and silver shoes. The heels clicked against the hard surface of the aisle as she unwillingly approached the man waiting for her at the viewport.

She'd only seen such luxurious garments and jewellery being worn by important dignitaries and occasionally from images recorded within salvaged holocrons. This outfit was so elegant and feminine and a part of her _liked_ how it looked on her. _But_ … these fineries weren't meant for a common scavenger, nor were they fit for the spartan lifestyle of a Jedi Knight.

This didn't make sense… What had happened to the practical clothes she'd been wearing?"

"Didn't I tell you that black would suit you well?" Ren said with a hint of approval.

So the costume change was _his_ doing!

"You're sick and deluded if you think you'll ever see me wearing anything this revealing in the waking world Ren!" she bit out with a snarl. Rey could see him lazily shrug off her objection.

"You're such an innocent girl… but it's true I've imagined many pleasures with you. Maybe you should be grateful that I'm restraining myself from dressing you in something from those fantasies that would _truly_ be considered indecent?"

Rey scowled at his back as she came to halt a few metres behind him. The air was hot and dry and it hung in waves around them. The bridge of the ghostly star destroyer blurred, revealing it as the mirage she already knew it to be.

The large viewport at the front of the bridge was to the side of her position and Kylo Ren was simply looking outward through the glass, seemingly unconcerned with anything else. Rey followed his gaze with curiosity.

She could not help but be captivated by the vista below. The terrain of an orange desert planet dominated the view. Desolate rocky masses mingled with endless sand dunes. The arc of the atmosphere had a faint blue tinge as a hot sun started to come into view above the horizon. She _recognised_ this world… it was Jakku. This was where she'd lived for most of her life after being abandoned there by her parents at a very young age. Rey could barely remember their faces anymore.

They had promised her they'd come back… but in the end they hadn't and she would probably never know why.

Helpless and alone she'd been forced into virtual slavery to a corrupt trader, toiling away for food portions that barely kept her alive and spending her days huddled in the rusting shell of an AT-AT Walker, wasting away her young life and counting down the days, living in both hope and denial.

Rey did not miss Jakku.

"I find it astonishing that I didn't detect your Force presence when I first landed on this backwater world," said Ren, shaking his head in disbelief.

"My original mission was to collect a map to Luke Skywalker from Lor San Tekka's camp of acolytes. If I'd known a precious angel like you was hidden away so _nearby_ , I would have instead ordered my stormtrooper division to go and find you. They would have scoured the desert and brought you to me nicely bound and all this would have been so much easier. That damned map would have paled in significance compared to your early capture."

Kylo Ren now turned to face her. As always, he was dressed in black, but the robes were much more magnificent than anything she'd seen him wear before and he positively radiated _power_ … unimaginable and _terrifying_ power. He was unmasked and his flowing jet hair rested in layers over his shoulders. It was longer than she remembered and his evil beauty made her gut clench. She recognised him as an enemy of the resistance and the nemesis of the Jedi, yet there was a repressed and primal part of her that inexplicably wanted to succumb to his charms and bathe in his darkness... she kept this carnal desire under tight control, she could not afford to be weak when it came to Kylo Ren.

Rey examined her regal clothing once again, noting the similarity in style to Ren's and understanding clicked in her mind. This was a Force vision of the future!

He seemed to be reading her thoughts.

"That's correct Rey, this is a foretelling of events that are yet to pass… it's a vision which has visited me many times before now. I'm so glad that you are finally sharing it with me. Hopefully you'll come to understand that turning to the Dark Side and joining the First Order is the only choice for my future Empress.

"What?!" she sputtered.

"I've known for many years that it is my right by birth to rule this Galaxy as its Emperor. When the time is comes I will overthrow Snoke and take my rightful place as the sole leader of both Republic and First Order territories. I am the undisputed heir to Darth Vader and the Sith Empire and I will finish what my grandfather started. You and I Rey, the two most powerful Force users of our generation, will rule together as husband and wife."

"Never!" she exclaimed, "You're _mad_ Ren! I won't _ever_ be your consort… this future is just another delusion in your twisted imagination. I will not let it come to pass, you can be sure of that 'Emperor _Solo'_. The last word she bit off sarcastically.

Ren smirked at her attempt to insult him and Rey hated the self-satisfaction in his voice. The name Solo no longer has any meaning to me or to you. I am of the Skywalker line and someday soon you will join this illustrious family too… by marriage."

Rey was aghast at the prospect of being a slave to his desires and destiny. No wonder he chased after her so fervently. He was hell-bent on fulfilling his family legacy and making this Force vision come to fruition no matter what the cost.

But surely the future is not set? Rey knew it could be changed; she had witnessed this before if only on a very small scale.

Kylo Ren stared at her knowingly.

"You cannot fight the will of the Force Rey, you and I were meant to be together and nothing can stop that." His zeal was frightening in its intensity and it sent a chill down her spine.

"Don't you understand how much I love you Rey? You are _constantly_ in my thoughts. The Force binds us in so many ways and this connection I feel towards you burns so hot that I fear your beautiful light will eventually drive me insane if we continue to be adversaries. I _know_ you feel compassion for me too so don't fight me anymore… just _love_ me!"

Turning away from his imploring gaze, Rey tried to ignore the honeyed words. His ardent declarations of love would not sway her. She didn't want to play any role in his evil Empire.

"You forget I know the longings of your heart little scavenger. I've seen your solitary island and felt your loneliness like no other lover ever could. I can give you _everything_ you've ever wanted… companionship, loyalty, security and much more."

He gestured to a black octagonal font that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere in the shadow, and he immediately paced over to it. "Come and take a look at what could be _yours_ if you pledge yourself to me."

The mysterious object looked similar to a container she'd seen in an interrogation chamber when he'd held her prisoner on Starkiller base. She recalled with disgust that it'd been full of the ashes of his slain foes. For some reason he'd slammed his chrome helmet into the ashes after removing it so he could reveal his unexpectedly handsome face to her. She'd been disdainful of his leering attentions back then and she was determined to fight him off again. Even now he was openly looking her up and down with appreciation and lust.

"There is no offer you can make that I will accept. I don't even want to _see_ what you have in that thing," she told him defiantly.

Raising his arm, Ren curved his velvet-gloved hand inwards, beckoning her, never once breaking the gaze of his hypnotic black irises away from her. Once again Rey was being compelled by the Force to approach him. She curled her lip in frustration as she found herself standing uncomfortably close and personal to her arch-enemy and the vision seemed determined to hold her rigid for him, there was nowhere to run or hide.

Kylo Ren eagerly wrapped his long arms around both her shoulders and waist, pulling her body to embrace his own tightly. He held her head to his broad chest and the silk of his tunic brushed softly against her face and even though this was a mere vision, she could feel his villainous heart beating rapidly on the side of her cheek. He sighed contentedly and stroked his fingers over her long chestnut hair. "I've longed to hold you like this since the first time I saw you Rey. I could be such a _generous_ lover to you if you'd only give me a chance to show you the ways of the Force."

His touch made her shiver but the frightening aspect about his caress was that it felt strangely… _comforting_. Nobody had ever held her like this before. One of her own hands reached up and rested on his chest, clutching at his robe and grabbing a handful of velvet tightly in her fist. She tried to convince herself that he was using the Force to make her do this… surely it was not her _own_ will that caused her to respond this way?

He moved his hands up to her face and tilted her chin upward so he could get a better look at her and Rey in turn took the opportunity to scan over his angular features closely as well. Ren had the appearance of being more mature and _dangerous_ since she'd clashed with him on Hoth. Rey was also certain she too now looked several years older than before. Rey wagered this Force vision was set perhaps three or four years in the future.

 _"There is still time to stop this"_ she thought.

He started to smile at her with those sinful full lips of his and the facial scar she had once bestowed upon his pale features seemed to glow red in the darkness.

"Now Rey, you _will_ look at my offering to you"

He physically forced her to turn her head and look at the black font he had directed her to previously.

She could hear sounds coming from within… a soft crying that instantly tugged on something and made her ache inside her abdomen.

 _"No… it couldn't be!"_

Peering down she didn't find the ashes or grotesque relics that she'd expected… Instead she found a small infant swaddled in high-quality black and red Ryloth linen. It was a beautiful baby boy with a crown of wispy dark hair, barely a few months old!

Rey inhaled sharply with shock…

The baby's muted cries stopped when his hazel-coloured eyes beheld her. He then gurgled happily as his tiny fingers reached up to her with recognition.

"This is _our_ child Rey, yours and mine," said Ren softly.

"The family you have been searching for, the belonging you seek… I can give this to you! Never again will you spend a single night sleepless and alone. Never again will you be threatened by scumbag traders or used by thieves and traitors undeserving of your regard and friendship. I swear by the Force that you will always have us _both_ to cherish and love you. Anyone who attempts to harm you or take you away from us will suffer the wrath of father and son alike."

Releasing his hold on her, Ren stepped to the edge of the font. He reached inside, gently lifting the baby out and then cradled it in his arms. The broad sleeves of his emperor's robes seemed to make the tiny boy look even smaller in contrast to the hulking form of his father.

Rey could say nothing, this moment was too surreal, she was looking at a child that had not been conceived yet, but it was her son nonetheless. This child would only exist if she submitted to his father… and Kylo Ren knew that all too well!

"I've seen his face so many times in my dreams," said Ren looking down at the bundle he held with such reverent care.

Rey was on the verge of breaking down with guilt and weeping. All the Jedi litanies that her master had taught her about serenity and selflessness seemed worthless and false. The truth was she _wanted_ this! Rey had always craved love, passion and most of all… _family_.

 _"Don't be fooled…"_ she told herself. Ren might look upon this child with genuine fondness, yet at the same time he was also the _murderer_ of his own father and he'd inflicted untold suffering to thousands of innocents from scores of star systems.

Behind the façade he'd adopted in this vision, she could still sense the obsession and ambition which blazed in the erratic aura of this man who believed the Force had willed him to be Emperor of the Galaxy! He was the Dark Side incarnate and Rey was ashamed and mortified at how attractive it was to her…

 _"Beware the temptations of the Dark Side Rey,"_ she heard her inner guardian's voice warn her.

"He has your eyes," Ren said wonderingly. "We'll name him Anakin in honour of his great-grandfather. He will be very strong with the Force… a _worthy_ heir to Darth Vader."

Something about this last statement caused Rey to break free from the numbing confusion that had taken over when she'd first looked into the font.

"No," she said flatly.

Frowning, Ren looked back to her. "No?"

"If I take a lover or marry it will be a man of my own choice and it won't be _you_ my dear Emperor!" she almost screamed this at him and the baby started to cry again. "I'll not be the mother of a future dictator and if I _choose_ to have children they will not be raised into the Dark Side!"

Ren's face twisted in anger and he returned the baby to the font which then promptly vanished back into the shadows from whence it came. The Dark Knight started clenching his fists slowly with quivering fingers. His black eyes started to glow with the yellow tinge of a rage-filled Sith.

"Why do you continue to fight destiny!?" he growled.

"My destiny is my own and this is _your_ Force vision, _not_ mine, so I've _decided_ to end it!"

"Rey, please listen…" he began but Kylo Ren didn't get a chance to finish his sentence.


End file.
